Text Size

EXCLUSIVE … IRA SHAPIRO HANGS A SHINGLE: Ira Shapiro, former Clinton administration trade negotiator and ambassador, is launching his new consulting firm, Ira Shapiro Global Strategies. Located in Washington, the new firm will focus on international trade and government relations. “For nearly 11 years, I have had the privilege of practicing law at Greenberg Traurig, one of the world’s best and most distinctive law firms,” said Shapiro. “This year will be critical for the U.S trade policy, the relationship between the U.S. and Japan and the continuing struggle to reverse the political dysfunction in Washington. In my new role at Ira Shapiro Global Strategies, I look forward to tackling these important challenges in the trade world.”

Shapiro previously served in the Clinton administration in the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) as general counsel, chief trade negotiator with Japan and Canada and ambassador. He’s also the author of the book “The Last Great Senate” and serves as chairman of the National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS),

FIRST IN PI … STORY, ON A HIRING SPREE, BRINGS ON VOSS: Story Partners has brought on Jennifer Voss as a senior director. In her new role, she’ll work on existing clients accounts — mostly in the energy space. She comes to Story from Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide — their second hire from Ogilvy in as many months. Cameron Coursen recently joined as vice president. "We look forward to Jennifer joining our growing team. She has exceptional client management and media relations skills that will serve our clients well,” said Debra Cabral, CEO of Story Partners. In addition to Coursen, Story also brought on Lauren Culbertson from Sen. Johnny Isakson's office.

GOOD THURSDAY AFTERNOON where this snowstorm is the first winter weather event in recent memory that is neither overwhelming nor underwhelming. It’s also been 60 years to the day since Frank Selvy scored 100 points in an NCAA Division 1 basketball game. Playing for Furman University in a game against Newberry College, Selvy made 41 of 66 field goals attempts and 18 of 22 free throws. Send your lobbying news, gossip, tips and scoops to btau@politico.com. And keep up with PI on Twitter by following @ByronTau or @PoliticoPI.

SCOOPLET … TEEL TO JOIN RICH FEUER ANDERSON: House Financial Services Committee staffer Alex Teel is leaving Capitol Hill to join the financial services lobbying firm Rich Feuer Anderson. Teel previously worked for Rep. Spencer Bachus on the committee — with a portfolio that included domestic and international financial institutions. He specialized in the Federal Reserve and helped steward the passage of theExport-Import Bank Reauthorization. In his new role, Teel will focus on financial service issues and help the firm advise its clients that include Bipartisan Policy Center, BlackRock, Citi, Nomura, PwC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority among others.

SCOOPLET ... ANDERSON JOINS PCA: The Portland Cement Association has hired Mark Anderson as group vice president of public affairs. In his new role, he will be the PCA government affairs representative, responsible for the overall direction and execution of legislative and regulatory initiatives. “Mark will take the lead in shepherding the association’s legislative and regulatory efforts and in developing key policies and strategies,” Gregory Scott, PCA president and CEO said. Most recently, Anderson served as chief of staff for Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade (CMT).

EMP COALITION SIGNS K&L GATES: K&L Gates will lobby on behalf of a group whose mission is to protect America's electrical grid. The EMP Coalition supports legislative efforts to protect the national energy grid from natural or manmade electromagnetic pulse events. This is the coalition’s first lobbying hire. As the registration notes, there’s no specific legislation for this at this time, but it’s the type of catastrophe that Newt Gingrich has been warning Congress could “end civilization.” Daniel Ritter, former chief counsel for the Senate Subcommittee on Education, Arts and Humanities, will work on the account with Paul Stimers and W. Dennis Stephens. This is K&L Gates’s fourth new client this month, along with Ensyn Corporation, the Museum of Flight and Northwestern Kidney Centers. Judson Greif, formerly of now-closed Denny Miller Associates, will lobby on those clients.

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS FORM CYBERSECURITY PARTNERSHIP: A number of trade associations representing the merchant and financial services industries have announced a new cybersecurity partnership. The partnership will focus on information sharing issues, improved card security technology and better customers trust. Members of the new partnership include the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), the Financial Services Roundtable (FSR), the American Bankers Association (ABA), the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), The Clearing House (TCH), the Consumer Bankers Association (CBA), the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the National Associations of Convenience Stores (NACS), the National Grocers Association (NGA), the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and the National Retail Federation (NRF).

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE FOR NEW BUSINESS: Streetcars are all the rage in urban planning circles. And K Street has taken notice. A renaissance for the vintage mass-transit option has spawned a new niche area for lobbying — a rare growth spot in an otherwise difficult business environment. Driven by the hunt for federal transportation dollars, a handful of downtown firms is seeing an influx of municipalities, states or private development organizations lobbying for grants and transit projects. Byron and Andrea have the skinny: http://politi.co/NFWxFo

** The pulp, paper, packaging, and wood products manufacturing industry is continually innovating to deliver new products that meet traditional needs for communications, packaging, building materials, and more. Today, wood-based nanotechnology is used in everything from automotive parts to flat-screen televisions. Get to know us: afandpa.org

BOWLES-SIMPSON GROUP RUNNING LOW ON CASH: A year and a half after launching with much fanfare, a group affiliated with fiscal watchdogs Erskine Bowles and former Sen. Alan Simpson is nearly broke. The Can Kicks Back — which targets millennials and was conceived as a partner and affiliate of the group Fix the Debt — is running low on cash, according to emails and documents reviewed by POLITICO. The group left a history of documents, including financial statements and internal deliberations over policy decisions, online in a Google Group that was open to the public but was recently closed. Those documents provide a peek into the day-to-day planning and operation of a modern public affairs campaign, one that publicly presented itself as driven by grass-roots energy but largely relied on big donors and wealthy Wall Street types for funding. http://politi.co/1lJoBTD

BILLIONAIRE COMPARES HIS BUSINESS TO AN ANT: Sheldon Adelson on the coming fight between Internet companies and the traditional gaming industry: “They’ll come in there; they’ll squash the other guys like … you squash the little ant running across the table or the floor; and that’s going to be the end of all of it.” Jon Ralston has the low down: http://politi.co/MfXRO2

FIGHTING MONEY WITH MONEY: Critics of Citizens United are launching a campaign of their own called the Democracy Initiative. It’s a consortium led by Greenpeace USA, the Sierra Club, NAACP and Communications Workers of America. Fund for the Republic, a tax-exempt group working to recruit more philanthropists to the cause, has a fundraising goal of $40 million, to be distributed in small grants by the fund. NPR’s Peter Overby: http://n.pr/1bsaJwf

ED GILLESPIE GETS HIS OWN SUPER PAC: “Republican Senate candidate Ed Gillespie, who helped co-found the American Crossroads super PAC with GOP strategist Karl Rove, won't be relying on Rove's group as his chief outside booster in his Virginia campaign. He's getting a super PAC of his own. Allies of Gillespie, the former Republican National Committee chairman, have created the We Can Do Better PAC, via National Journal: http://bit.ly/1bPv3SU

HOLES IN THE FARA REGISTRATION: “Ukraine's embattled rulers may have a clique of connected lobbyists swarming Congress, the State Department or even the White House pleading the case of President Viktor Yanukovich, whose tilt toward Vladimir Putin's Russia has launched three months of protests. But because of a change to disclosure requirements for agents of foreign powers, the public may never know.” The problem lies in the option to file disclosures with the House and Senate rather than the Justice Department. Via Sunlight Foundation: http://bit.ly/1gbs8IT

NEW POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE REGISTRATIONS:

Kentucky Rise (PAC)

NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS: (Firm: Client)

Bernstein Strategy Group: American Federation of School Administrators

Brian Fitzgerald: The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, Inc.

** AF&PA members companies take great pride in delivering the products that people expect today and will rely on tomorrow.

Our industry employs some of the best and brightest scientists and engineers to discover new technologies that are brought to life through highly-skilled workers across the country. Wood-based nanomaterials enable development of lighter, stronger, and greener packaging and other materials such as automotive parts. Pulp and paper innovations are driving advancements in food packaging, tissue and diapers. And cellulosic pulp is a key component of high-tech applications like flat-screen televisions.

Learn more about the pulp, paper, packaging, and wood products manufacturing industry at afandpa.org, and follow us on Twitter for the latest industry news: @forestandpaper.